Electroplating hanger to support a plurality of articles



ELECTROPLATING HANGER TO SUPPORT A PLURALITY OF ARTICLES George B. Hogaboom, Jr., Kenilworth, N. J. Application May 5, 1955`,seria1N0. 506,295

s claims. (c1. 2114-297) This invention relates to hanger means for suspending a plurality of articles, and especially articles of small size, in the electrolytic solution of a yplating tank.

Electroplating of a multiplicity of small articles, which require individual suspension, i. e., separation one from another, when suspended inthe electrolyte of a plating tank, has heretofore'involved considerable expenditure ofvtime and labor required to mount the articles upon and in electrical contact with a suspending'conductive support, which is adapted to be hung from and in electrical contact with the cathode rod or bar of the plating tank circuit. It has heretofore been the practice to pass a single supporting hanger wire through a plurality of the articles, and then to space the articles one from 4another by twisting the wire relative to each article so yas to maintain lthe required` separation of the articles one from another. Such practice is tedious `and laborious,

both when attaching the article to the wire and, afterV plating thereof, when removing the same from the latter, since said operations requires individual twisting and untwisting manipulation or the hanger wire with respect to each'article. To reduce this time consuming labor to some extent, resort has been made to complicated hanger rack or frame structures, but due to high cost and short useful life of such structures, the same do noty oder a satisfactory solution of the problem of handling a multiplicity of small articles in theplating thereof.

.Having the `above in view, it is an object of this invention to provide a novel construction of hanger means for suspending a plurality of articles, especially small a11icles,in an electroplating bath; said hanger means being of simple and inexpensive construction; and one which facilitates the mounting of a plurality of articles thereon in spaced apart relation and removing said articles therefrom, expeditiously and 'with minimum expenditure of labor.

The invention has for a further object to provide a hanger means for the stated purpose which comprises a linear body provided by a plurality of conductive metallic wire strands disposed in contiguous relationship, and helically twisted together, and thus interlocked, at longitudinally spaced intervals along the'length thereof, with selected strand or strands parted intermediate the interlocked portions of thelinear body to 'provide free end portions extendingfrom the latter;A the free end portions of said strand or strands being bent into separated laterally projecting hook formations, leaving at least one unserved strand extending between adjacent interlocked portions, whereby to preserve the linear continuity of the hanger body.

The invention has for another object to provide a novel hanger material which can be produced and supplied to a consumer or user in the form of a continuous run thereof of intermediate length, from which the consumer or user can cut away a suitably sized portion thereof, and thereupon easily and quickly form the projecting hook elements in connection therewith, ready for reception and support of a plurality of segre- United States Patent gated articles to be plated, when suspended by the resultant hanger means in a plating tank.

The above and other objects will be understood from Ia reading of the following description of this invention` in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which; Fig. l is an elevational view of a length of fabricated `material which provides a linear body formation from which a hanger means Vaccording to this invention is produced; and Fig. 2 is an elevational view of the Y'completed hanger means produced from the linear body gage and good electrical conductivity, which are laid together in contiguous side by side relation. These .strands are helically convolved or twisted together at v upper freeY end straightV strand sections l2 of selected length.A

yThe linear body, `as above characterized, having been formed, to complete the hanger device, one of each pair of straight sections 11, which extend between interlock sections lll of the linear body, is parted at approximately its midpoint; for example, at points indicated by the arrows applied in Fig. l. The parted portions of vthese parted sections, are thereupon bent outwardly and upwardly to form upwardly open lower hook members 13 and upper hook members ld, which respectively spring from the Vlower ends and the upper ends of the interlock sections 10, whereby to project laterally from opposite sides of the linear body respectively in opposite directions, and in spaced apart relation. Before use of the hanger device thus formed, the upper free end straight strand sections 12 are bent to provide the upper end thereof with a suspension hook formation 15.

lIn use of the completed hanger device, articles, and especiallypsmall/ articles, as e. g., the washer A shown in Fig. 2, can be engaged over the hook members 13 and 14V so as to be supported thereby, whereupon the hanger device, with the articles supported thereby in separated relation one to another, is adapted to be immersed in the electrolyte' of a plating tank. The immersed hanger device, with its load of supported articles, is suspendedV in the plating tank by engaging the suspension hook formation `15 of the hanger device over the cathode rod or'bar of the tank, whereby` not only isthe hanger device mechanically supported, but also makes electrical contactfwithsaid cathode rod orIbar, so that plating current can be conducted from the suspended articles to said cathode rod or bar in manner well known to the art.

After the plating of the articles is accomplished, the hanger Vdevice can be withdrawn from the plating tank, and by merely inverting said hanger device to turn its hook members upside down, the plated articles will quickly and simultaneously fall from said hook members into a suitable place of collection, thus obviating any necessity for individual manipulation of said articles in order to free the same from the hanger device.

The simple form of hanger device above described can be repeatedly used, but its cost is so low however that it 3 can be economically discarded after one' or a `few uses thereof, if so desired.

Although in the simple form of the device as illustratively shown in Fig. l, the linear b ody comprises but two strands of wire, it will be obvious that the same may, if desired, comprise more than two strands. For example, it may comprise three or more such strands, so thatall but one of the straight sections thereof, which extend between the interlock sections, can be parted whereby to provide a greater number of free end portions from which a correspondingly greater number of the hook members can be formed.

Referring now to Fig. 3, there is shown therein a modied construction of hanger device which also embodies the principles of and falls within the scope of this invention. In this modied construction, thelinear body comprises a central core wire 20, preferably of relatively heavy gage, and a plurality of strands 21 of comparatively smaller gage wire, the latter being disposed along said core wire 20 in contiguous relation thereto. Said core wire 2t) and wirev strands ,2 are spirally convolved or twisted together at selected spaced intervals alongv the length of the linear body, thus forming interlock'sections 22, which securely join the same together against separation, and so as to leave straight severable sections of the strands 21 which initially extend between adjacent interlock sections 22. To complete this modied form of hanger device, all the straight sections of the strands 21 are cut through or parted at their midpoints, leaving the core wire in continuous extension throughout the length of the hanger device. The parted portions of the straight sections are bent outwardly and upwardly to provide a plurality of upwardly open lower hook members 23 and a plurality of like upwardly open upper hook members 24, which respectively spring from the lower and upper ends of the interlock sections 22, whereby to project radially outward about the core wire 2t). Said hook members are adapted to receive and support the articles to be plated. The upper free endvportion 25 of the linear body assembly of this modified form of the hanger device is suitably shapedfto provide a suspension hook formation 26.

An advantage of the above described modified form of the hanger device is that the central core wire Zt is continuous throughout the length of the device, and thus furnishes a strong and sturdy carrier means for the longitudinally spaced groups of hanger hook members. In other respects said modified form of the hanger device provides all the advantages as to ease and rapidity with which articles to be plated can be mounted thereon and removed therefrom after the plating thereof is accomplished.

The hanger device, as to both forms thereof, can be fabricated and furnished to the user in completed condition ready for use; or the linear body, from which the hanger device is produced, can be furnished to the user in indeterminate lengths, in the form of coils or reels thereof, from which the user can detach suitably sized portions to provide hanger devices of desired length, and then by parting selected strands intermediate the interlocked portions, the user can form from said parted strands the desired number of article supporting hook members.

While specific illustrative embodiments of the hanger device of this invention havev been shown and described, it will V be ,understood that various .changes in .the .detail construction of the hanger device can be made within the scope of the invention as defined by the herefollowing claims, and consequently it is not intended to limit the invention to the particular structures shown in the drawings and hereinabove described.

I claim:

1. A hanger for suspending a multiplicity of articles in an electroplating tank, said hanger comprisingr a linear body provided by a plurality of contiguous electrically conductive wire strands helically twisted together at intervals along the length of the body to form spaced apart interlocked sections, with selected strands parted intermediate the interlocked sections to provide free end portions extending from the ends of said sections, said free end portions being bent into upwardly open article receptive hook members projecting laterally from the linear body, and an end portion of said linear body terminating in an inverted hanger hook formation to suspend Vsaid body from a cathode rod of an electroplating tank.

2. A hanger for suspending a multiplicity of articles in an electroplating tank, saidhanger comprising an electrically conductive linear body provided by ya continuous core wire and a plurality of wire strands disposed about said core wire in contiguous relation thereto, said core wire and wire strands being helically twisted together at intervals along the length of the body to 'form spaced apart interlocked sections, with the wire strands only parted intermediate the interlocked sections to provide free end portions extending from the ends of said sections, said free end portions of the wire strands being bent into upwardly open article receptive hook members which project radially from the continuous core wire, whereby to provide groups of said hook members spaced along the linear body, and an end'portion of the linear body terminating in an inverted hanger hook formation vto suspend said body from'a cathode rod of an electroplating tank.

3. Material from which to produce hangers for suspending a multiplicity of small articles in an electroplating bath, said material comprising a flexible electrically conductive linear body of indeterminate length provided by continuous core wire and a plurality of wire strands disposed about said core wire in contiguous relation thereto, said core wire and wire strands being helically twisted together at spaced longitudinal intervals, whereby to join said core wire and wire strands by interlocked sections having straight portions of the wire strands extending between said sections, said straight portions of the wire strands being adapted to be parted at substantially midpoints `thereof to form free end portions which can be bent into upwardly open article receptive hook members to project radially from ends of the interlocked sections of the linear body andrabout the continuous'core wire.

References Cited in the le of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 199,924 Mighell Feb. 5, 1878 230,445 Stoll .Tuly 27, 1880 889,103 Buck May 26, 1908 2,258,391 Novitsky Oct. 7, 1941 

1. A HANGER FOR SUSPENDING A MULTIPLICITY OF ARTICLES IN AN ELECTROPLATING TANK, SAID HANGER COMPRISING A LINEAR BODY PROVIDED BY A PLURALITY OF CONTIGUOUS ELECTRICALY CONDUCTIVE WIRE STANDS HELICALLY TWISTED TOGETHER AT INTERVALS ALONG THE LENGTH OF THE BODY TO FORM SPACED APART INTERLOCKED SECTIONS, WITH SELECTED STRANDS PARTED INTERMEDIATE THE INTERLOCKED SECTIONS TO PROVIDE FREE END PORTIONS EXTENDING FROM THE ENDS OF SAID SECTIONS, SAID FREE 